The present invention relates to a head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement for bicycle and, more particularly to such a bicycle head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement, which is durable in use and, produces less noise during movement of the bicycle.
In a bicycle, ball bearing assemblies are used and installed in top and bottom ends of the head tube to support the handlebar stem and front fork assembly, enabling the handlebar stem and front fork assembly to be rotated relative to the head tube. FIGS. from 1 through 4 show different designs of bicycle head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement according to the prior art. According to these designs, the ball bearing assembly is directly supported on the top or bottom end of the head tube. When riding the bicycle over an uneven road surface, the ball bearing assembly is moved up and down and vertically intermittently forced against the head tube, thereby causing severe friction between the ball bearing assembly and the head tube with accompanied high noise. Due to this reason, the ball bearing assembly wears quickly with use.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a bicycle head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a bicycle head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement, which is durable in use. It is another object of the present invention to provide a bicycle head tube and ball bearing mounting arrangement, which produces less noise during running of the bicycle. According to the present invention, two gasket rings are mounted in the head tube to support the respective ball bearing assemblies in the expanded receiving portions at the ends of the head tube. The gasket rings each have a tapered inner diameter that fits over the tapered bottom edge of the respective ball bearing assembly to prevent direct contact between the head tube and the bottom edge of the respective ball bearing assembly, and to minimize friction resistance between each ball bearing assembly and the head tube during movement of the bicycle.